


Welcome to the East Coast

by SilverPastelStars



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: America (Hetalia) - Freeform, Canada (Hetalia) - Freeform, Death, Estonia (Hetalia) - Freeform, Finland (Hetalia) - Freeform, Gore, Human Names Used, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, PTSD flashbacks, Past Child Abuse, Sealand (Hetalia) - Freeform, Side EstLat, Suicide, Sweden (Hetalia) - Freeform, ghost au, latvia (Hetalia) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-09-26 21:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9923009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverPastelStars/pseuds/SilverPastelStars
Summary: Inspired by a short story on Tumblr, by Dennor-the-life-ruinnerI really liked it, so I decided to elaborate on it someMatthias moves into a new apartment for his job, and meets one of his many neighbours in the apartment's elevator. But why does his room smell so odd?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dennor Ghost AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/268040) by dennor-the-life-ruinner. 



> Like I said in the summary, I didn't write the original for this. The original was on Tumblr, and was only 2 paragraphs long. Because it was a wonderful AU idea, I decided to elaborate on it some.
> 
> Matthias: Denmark  
> Lukas: Norway  
> Emil: Iceland  
> Tino: Finland  
> Berwald: Sweden  
> Peter: Sealand

Matthias hated moving, and that's all there was too it.

It was too much work, if you asked him. Packing everything up, putting it into a truck, and then unpacking it again. What was the _point_.

It wasn't like he had much of a choice whether he moved or not, though. That is, he didn't if he wanted to be able to afford food. He had been offered an office job on the East coast, but it was so far from his old home, in California, that he had been forced to move were he to accept.

It was lucky he had been offered such a nice job with his track record though.

Job 1: Coffee shop employee. Spilled boiling water on 5 people. Fired within an hour.

Job 2: Door attendant at a hotel. Accidentally hit a disabled person with the door. Fired within a week.

Job 3: Chef at a restaurant. We shouldn't even get started with this one. Fired within 1/2 an hour.

The list kept going.

And his latest job, which he was fired from last week: Pizza delivery guy. Fired after almost hitting multiple people with his car. Excuse: "HE WANTED IT IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO!?!"

Fired after a month.

So, of course, he was grateful to the office for asking him.

 _Ding_ ; the elevator doors clicked open, and Matthias walked down the hallway towards his apartment.

 _Click clack click clack click_. He could hear someone else walking down the hall, perhaps two people, but paid no mind. Shifting the boxes in his arms, he reached into his pocket, and triumphantly pulled out a key-chain.

 _Click clack click clack click._ The person was getting closer to him now.

 _Click clack click clack click._ Matthias started getting that nervous feeling. We all know the one. When you're going up the basement steps, when you're walking alone in the woods.

 _Click. Clack. Click. Clack. Click._ Matthias rushed to get the door open, jamming the correct key into the lock.

"Hello!" Matthias screamed and whipped around, boxes flying everywhere. Behind him stood a short man, along with a taller one. The taller one was terrifying; the shorter one seemed friendly enough.

"Oh, sorry for the startle! You must be the new tenant! The whole apartment complex is buzzing about you! My name's Tino, and this is Berwald. I don't know where Peter's gone off to, but he's around here somewhere! He'll be ecstatic to meet you!" Wow, this guy sure talked fast. Tino, he said his name was... right?

"Hey, Tino! Nice to meet ya! I'm Matthias, but you can call me the King of Denmark." He winked, and Tino laughed. Berwald's face remained stoic, if not slightly annoyed. 

"Well me and Bernie here (Berwald frowned at the nickname) were just going out to get some groceries, so we have to get going, but it was nice to meet you! We should hang out some time! You'd love our dog! Byeeee!" Tino and Berwald kept walking towards the elevator. He watched as an apartment door unlocked, and a kid who looked about 12 rushed down the hall, managing to catch up with them just as the elevator doors opened.

Matthias let out a small puff of air, and smiled as he bent down to retrieve his boxes. He was pretty sure he heard something break earlier. With a sigh, he turned his key in the lock, and forced the door open with his shoulder.

"Holy  _FUCK!_ " he yelled, almost dropping his boxes again. It  _reeked_ in there, enough that someone with hyposmia would faint. Fuck, someone with congenital anosmia would faint too.

Matthias desperately pinched his nose and walked into his new home.

"Shit, now I've gotta spend money on febreeze..." He hissed, and slammed the door shut behind him with his foot.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyposmia: A decreased ability to smell  
> Congenital anosmia: When you were born without the ability to smell


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthias gets a look around his new apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow look I got motivated enough to write chapter two! Enjoy!

Slamming the door had felt nice, but he moderately regretted it, considering that damned  _smell_ had nowhere to go now.

"They gave me a real winner of a room, didn't they..." He grumbled, and tossed down his boxes. Looking around, he started taking in the place he'd be living in.

For about 5 feet, a small hall jutted out from the door. On the left wall was a small closet, on the right was a place to put your shoes, as well as a painting. Why was there already a painting hanging? He certainly hadn't been the one to put it up. Maybe the last person just hadn't wanted it.

He briefly considered "wouldn't the building owner have cleaned the room out after they left, though?"

That idea was completely shot down based on the state of the rest of the place.

Dust covered everything. The walls, the ceiling, the fan, the floors. The dining room and living room conjoined, which he didn't mind too much. Another room and a hallway spread off from the dining area, and he headed to what looked like just one room first.

It turned out to be a kitchen.

A stove was placed directly to the left of the entryway, and Matthias banged his knee on the corner. He hissed in pain, clutching it, and kicked the side of the stove. It rattled, sounding almost like there was something in it. Disgusting. Maybe there was.

The sink was attached to the counter, topped with white marble. He noticed a small blue bowl sitting proudly next to the sink, presumably meant to be washed, and shuffled over to it (his knee still ached). Inside, rotting fruits lay.  _DISGUSTING._ He swept the bowl into the sink so he didn't have to look at it. An army of fruit flies swarmed up, disturbed from their rest, and spread out around the different rooms. An equally large amount continued to lay on the fruit, having died long ago.

To the right of the counter, and facing out of the doorway, was a fridge. It looked old, and fermented juice stained the front.

"Do I even want to open that." The answer was no, but he did anyway.

And almost retched. The odor became 10 times more pungent, and Matthias stumbled backwards. His eyes watered, his mouth felt mildly dry, his nose  _burned_. In the fridge, rotting meats sat, waiting, covered in mold and dead bugs. Rotten eggs sat on the side, spoiled milk leaked out of the carton and dripped onto the floor at a slow pace. At least, whatever liquid was left in it did. Most of it was just chunks.

More fruit had been placed in a container in the fridge. Matthias didn't dare get near it. A bottle of Coors Light had been left, untouched. He didn't dare touch that, either.

Bread, also covered in mold, sat on the bottom shelf, alone. He managed to get near enough to the fridge, without shriveling up and dying, that he could slam it shut.

Next up was the freezer.

He grabbed the handle, and wrenched it open, instantly backing up. Just in case.

Nothing happened.

Taking a tentative step forward, Matthias peered at the freezer's contents suspiciously.

Cases of ice cream, gelato, sorbet, rocket-pops, you name it, sat completely untouched. In fact, they looked brand new. Matthias felt himself growing even more uneasy than he had been before, and reached out to grab one of them. He stopped himself. Who knew what was on those things? He shut the freezer door.

Cabinets lined the wall above the sink, and Matthias grabbed a handle. It wouldn't open.

He tried again. It wouldn't open.

Again. Nothing.

"Come  _on_!" He gave an extra-hard tug, and the door flew off it's hinges. "Oh for  _fuck's sake_!" Throwing it down, he glanced in the cabinet. Porcelain plates were stacked neatly, each looking newly cleaned. They looked pretty expensive, too.

He moved onto the next one. The door opened easily, and inside, porcelain bowls were also stacked. He reached out to grab one, and a roach family crawled out. He screamed shrilly, fell backwards with a dull thud, then scrambled to get back up again. He grabbed his shoe and banged it on the front of each cabinet, hoping no more would crawl out. None did, and he was thankful.

Next cabinet. Glass cups filled it up, with no room left over. The looked like they hadn't been used in 20 years, and spiderweb cracks adorned most of them. For some, entire shards of glass were gone.

Matthias quickly stepped out of the kitchen, having had enough of that room.

He went towards the hallway to the right, the only other path he hadn't taken. Three rooms were placed in it. He went into the closest one.

It was a small bathroom. The floor tiles were yellowed and cracked with age, and the sink was placed directly next to the toilet. How convenient. No toilet paper was on the roll, however, and there weren't any shower curtains. The tub itself... had hair in it. Matthias gagged.

He left that room before anything else could be seen.

The second door was another closet. Matthias wasn't very interested in that, thank you very much. He got to the end of the hall, and cracked open the third door. It was a bedroom.

He wouldn't say it was a child's room, but he wouldn't say it was an adult's room either. The bed was devoid of anything except a stained-up mattress. A cracked mirror leaned against the wall on top of a wardrobe, cursed with wood-rot. The wardrobe had cast-iron handles (that looked handmade) and looked like it had been made of birch wood.

He had thought it could have been a child's room because a couple of small, stuffed animals sat in a corner. Maybe they were beanie-babies. Maybe not. Matthias couldn't assume though, considering he had a couple of his own packed away.

A rug covered the expanse of the floor, a nasty mustard-yellow. Matthias made a mental-note to get rid of it later. Really, the room was mostly empty. Another painting hung on the wall above the bed, but he didn't bother to even glance at it. He walked out, into the hall again.

You know what the  _real_ winner of the apartment was? The huge stain on the ceiling, right above the dining table. It was auburn colored, and looked like it was still wet.

A couple of seconds later, something red dripped down from it. Matthias's face scrunched up in horror, and he made another mental-note.  _Get plaster and rags._

Moving towards the door, and occasionally throwing glances over his shoulder warily, Matthias grabbed his wallet off the top of a box and left to go to the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rocket-pops are those things that ice cream trucks sell, they go from red to white to blue as you eat them. I'm not sure if it's only in America they're sold, but they're pretty good. Matthias has shown the ultimate self-control.
> 
> He didn't smash the roaches because of that story, "Don't smash a roach unless you want 20 more." (their eggs get stuck to your shoe, and get tracked around)
> 
> This isn't going to update daily, I just had some free time today (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthias still doesn't make it to the store, but he does get some insight on the other residents of the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lukas: Norway  
> Raivis: Latvia  
> Eduard: Estonia  
> Jones bros: Canada and America  
> I wrote this out in like, 5 seconds at 10pm because I wanted to get a chapter out, so don't judge the writing too much pls.

Waiting for the elevator at the end of the hall, Matthias couldn't help but take in some of the hallway, too.

It had a rather simplistic red carpet that he could feel bounce under his feet every step, as well as a circular lamp hanging from the ceiling every 10 feet. There were a couple of plants set around in corners, looking malnourished, and of course, a couple of doors stood on each wall.

Loud music could be heard coming from the opposite end of the hall, as well as some cheering. He decided to ignore it, and merely hoped that the party would be over by the time he went to bed.

There was a large window on the end of the hall closest to him, taking up the entirety of the wall. A couple of seats were placed around it, and he could see two guys sitting in them, talking. One was small, blonde, and looked to be... shaking? He wore a red t-shirt and jeans.

The other was tall, wore glasses, and wore a blue sweatshirt. He, too, was blond. He had beige slacks on, and had his arms wrapped around the shorter one. In his head, Matthias called them Red and Blue. Maybe Red was crying, or drunk... or both. They had probably just come out from the party, so 'both' was pretty likely.

Matthias turned back towards the elevator doors as he heard the small  _fshhh_ of it coming down the shaft. With a quiet  _ding_ and another  _fshhh_ , the doors slid open, revealing another man standing there. Stepping in, Matthias pressed the button for the lobby, and watched as the door shut once again. He kept sneaking little glances at the man behind him, and eventually cleared his throat loud enough that he looked his way. Matthias fully turned to look at him, and tried to start an awkward conversation.

"So... pretty nice weather we're having, huh?" It was, in honesty. It was sunny out, with almost no clouds in sight.

The other guy was noticeably shorter than Matthias, and wore an indigo shirt, with sleeves going to his elbows. He had on faded jeans that had clearly seen use, and he had paired a nice belt with them, along with a chain hanging off the side.

"Yes, it is, isn't it." Was all Matthias received as a reply.

The man next to him, now labeled Indigo until he could find out his name, had pale blond hair. His skin was too pale, like he didn't go outside, and he had on combat boots as well. A hair clip kept part of his bangs pinned to the side of his head, and he watched the floor counter go down, idly messing with the chain. It made a clanking noise as the loops jostled against one another.

Matthias was already at a loss of what to say.

"Umm..." He grinned suddenly. "Hey, so you must live here, right?"

He got a small 'hmm' of confirmation.

"Great! What floor do you live on? I live on floor 5!" A glance from Indigo quieted his rambling.

"...Floor 6. Why do you ask?"

"I just moved here, I want to get to know my neighbours better!" He nudged Indigo with his elbow, and completely missed how he stiffened at the touch. He laughed loudly. "Anyway, I got a job offer here, so maybe you could show me around some time, eh?" He nudged him again, and, not as surprised this time, Indigo barely flinched.

"Yes... maybe." He shrugged. It's not like he had anything better to do.

"Radical!" Indigo had to force back a smile at that. It hadn't sounded like it was intended to be ironic. "Hey, my name's Matthias by the way!"

"Nice to meet you, Matthias." He offered nothing more, and Matthias realized he was going to have to pry info from this guy, if he wanted to get anything at all.

"What's your name?"

"Why do you ask?" He said that a lot, didn't he. Maybe he just didn't want to answer. Too bad!

"I just want a name to put to the face! You seem pretty cool, yeah? I'd like to see you again, and if I want to tell my friends back home I already met someone, they're not going to stop bugging me until I tell them who it is!"

"It's Lukas."

"Lukas, huh? Pretty cool name..." Silence fell again. "There was a party happening earlier on my floor, know anything about that?"

"Probably the Jones brothers, Matthew and Alfred. Don't worry about them. Everyone will be wasted by 5, and then be cleared out by 6."

"What about the guy in red, and the guy in blue?"

"Red... and blue? You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that, you know. A lot of people are wearing red and blue."

"Ah, yeah, sorry, haha! The guy in red was about, yae big" (he put his hand near his midwaist) "and the guy in blue was about this tall?" (He put his hands around his eyes.) "And the guy in red seemed really shaky?"

"Oh, them. That's just Raivis in the red, and Eduard in the blue. They're pretty nice, Raivis works at a bakery, Eduard's an accountant."

"What's up with Raivis, though? Why's he so... shaky? Is he always like that, or is he just a sad drunk or somethin'?"

"Victim of child abuse, he's only 15 and has to support himself. Eduard helps. He's under a lot of stress, be nice to him."

"Shit, when did he get out of that?"

"Last year."

" _Only last year??_  Damn... I'm gonna talk to him later... maybe. So what's up with him and Eduard? They seem pretty close."

"Dating, started about 2 weeks after Raivis moved here, almost never fight. Then again, they don't get to see each other super often."

"That sucks... Them not seeing each other, I mean." Another 'hmm' of agreement.

"So, you seem to know a lot about other people here." Matthias ventured.

"Well, I have lived here my whole life."

"That's a long time, man. Tell me about the Jones bros." Matthias was grinning widely, and turned to look at Lukas again, positively beaming.

"Err... Matthew is quiet? I don't see him very much, he was born in Canada. And umm... Alfred is... loud. And rambunctious. And, well, he's nice for sure. Too enthusiastic for his own good."

"They both sound great! Everyone here sounds great! You're pretty great too!" Lukas fumbled at the compliment. He wasn't sure how to respond, and let the conversation trail off, an awkward air filling the elevator again.

The elevator doors dinged open again. That ride had seemed to last forever... and yet no time at all. Odd. 

Matthias stepped out, then held the door open for a minute.

"Hey, like I said before, you seem pretty cool. Hope I see you around again, catch ya later!" He walked over to the doors, stopping to chat with someone else for a second, and then left, disappearing into the day and leaving Lukas to wonder what the  _heck_ just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there is EstLat, but it isn't going to be a major thing, so if you don't like that ship, don't worry.  
> I included them because I feel like to get a feel for the apartment complex itself, and what it's like living there, you should get to know the other residents.
> 
> Lukas himself will be expanded on next chapter (we didn't get to him much xD )
> 
> And aaa, Matthias finally meets him. And doesn't actually find out much about him. This went so off tangent to be honest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthias gets home from buying his cleaning supplies, and runs into Lukas again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally got this out! I'm on Spring break now, so I'll be trying to update this more often for the next two weeks.

Plaster?  _check_

Rags?  _check_

Gloves?  _check_

Food?  _check_

 _ ****Lots_ and lots cleaning supplies.  _double-triple-check_

But what else did Matthias need? Nothing, he supposed. The store was only about a 10 minute walk away, anyway. If he did happen to forget anything, he could easily just walk back to it later in the day (if he could get motivated enough to, that is).

The store was nothing special, just another corner mart, although the people who owned it seemed nice enough. Two guys, both blond, one with a... french (was it french?) accent, and one with an English accent. The one with the English accent had... _impressive_ eyebrows, for sure. They seemed kind enough, getting through the short line quickly, even though they bickered the whole time.

Walking home, he noticed the town itself was nice. A slightly busy district, but not so busy that it was annoying. Annoying counted as people honking at each other in the middle of the night, parties every Friday, etc. Obviously there were parties, obviously there were fights and drunkards bumbling along in the middle of the night, but only occasionally.

Except for during the summer, but let's ignore that.

Matthias hummed quietly, glancing up at the many restaurants, and finally spotting his apartment complex at the end of the block. He sped up until he was doing a slight jog, and slowed down just as he got to the doors. He shoved them open, hands leaving small marks on the glass, and strode over to the elevator, not bothering to chat with anyone this time. What? The bags were heavy.

His foot tapped impatiently as he waited for the elevator, a  _ding_ alerting him that it had arrived. He stepped in, grinning as he saw that Lukas was still there. Lukas glanced up at him, but said nothing, only watched as Matthias hit the button for floor 5, and kept watching as the doors shut again, a quiet rumbling sound filling the air as the elevator got moving again.

"So, Lukas, tell me more about yourself this time. I asked you more about the others last time, huh?"

"About... myself."

"Yeah! Maybe I'll tell you more about me after, if you want!" Matthias winked. Lukas scowled.

"No thanks on the offer. I suppose I might as well tell you about myself, though. Not much to know, really."

"Ahh, I'm sure there's plenty!"

"Not really... Well, I have a little brother. His name's Emil, before you ask." Matthias felt his face redden, as he had been about to. His mouth was left hanging half open for a second before he quickly shut it. "I'm 21... I'm from Norway... That's about it. I'm not very interesting."

"I'm sure there's more, you just have to remember it! It's like... like when you would present at school, and you forget everything when you're presenting, but any other time you'd remember everything!"

"Hmm. I guess. Maybe you should tell me about yourself, then. Maybe I'll remember something else."

"Well, I'm from California, I moved here for a job, my apartment sucks ass... I was born in Denmark, actually, but I moved here when I was, like, two. Oh, I'm 23! Uhh... my parents moved back to Denmark last year... I don't know. My favorite color's red? That's about it."

"Seems like you're just as boring as I am."

"Hey!" Matthias noticed a ghost of a smile gracing Lukas's lips.

"Well it's not a bad thing, right? If you ask me, it's better to find things about someone on your own, not that artificial way you're using. And what do you mean by your 'apartment sucks ass.' Interesting term, what's wrong with it?"

Matthias felt a shiver go up his spine. "I'd rather not get into it." Lukas glanced at the bags of cleaning supplies Matthias was still carrying, and raised his eyebrows.

Matthias grinned, but it fell as he focused on finding more questions to ask. His train of thought was interrupted as Lukas asked one instead.

"So. You're from Cali, right? Doubt you even knew these states existed. Heard it's sunny there, lots of earthquakes."

"Hey, I knew... some of these states existed! Most! I knew about New York! And yeah, it's real sunny! Didn't live where there were many earthquakes, which is fine, though, so not much to say about that."

"Pshh. Of course you knew about New York, idiot. Everyone does."

Matthias quickly changed the subject, and couldn't help but notice this elevator ride seemed too long to still be going, just like last time.

"Try and tell me more about yourself. What's your favorite food, your favorite color, I don't care."

"My favorite food...? I don't really think about that... Maybe cinnamon rolls. And colors... I like purple. Purple's a nice one. And other things about me... You're really putting me on the spot, you know that? How annoying." Matthias snickered. "Well. I guess I like tea. And reading, specifically fantasy and adventure. I'm trying to become a writer, actually. Or an artist." A writer or artist, huh? Sounded cool to Matthias, who was a fan of paintings. He didn't read too much, in all honesty, which he'd been trying to change recently.

Why was this elevator ride lasting so long? He glanced at the floor counter. Only floor 3? This wasn't natural. Oh well, more time to talk to Lukas... he supposed.

He didn't realize he had missed a lot of what he was saying. "-and that's how I met Arthur and Vlad. Boring story, I know, but it was a story about me and you asked for things about me." Shit, Matthias had missed a lot. How, though? He had only been looking at the counter for a couple seconds. God, what was going on. 'Whatever', he thought to himself, and brushed it off as something to ponder at a later time.

"Matthias, are you feeling alright? You look paler than you did earlier."

"Hmm? Yeah I'm fine. Hey, is this elevator just go really slow? This ride feels like it's lasting a long time."

"If you don't want to talk to me, just say it. Don't skirt around the subject." Lukas frowned and turned back to staring at the doors.

"That's not what I meant! I just thought-" Matthias groaned. "-I just thought that most elevators would have gotten to the fifth floor by now. That's all, really!"

Lukas gave a small "hmph." and offered nothing more, but stole a sidelong glance at Matthias anyway. With a sigh, Matthias let himself stare off into space.

It felt like minutes later that he felt a small but firm hand grab his shoulder and shake him. 

"Matthias, hey, we're at your floor dummy. Get out."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks Lukas, see ya around!" The bags were pulling at his arms, surely to leave red marks on his wrists (that would go away eventually).

He huffed, and stepped out of the elevator, shooting Lukas a small smile. He did another slow-jog to his door.

 

For the second time, he had failed to notice that no floor was selected for Lukas to get off at. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot!  
> Quick reminder:  
> Emil: Iceland  
> Lukas: Norway  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ Thank you for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, etc! It means so much to me to get all this feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthias goes to visit Tino and Berwald, and looks around his apartment a little bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WROTE THIS OUT IN 5 SECOND SO ITS SHIT I JUST WANTED TO GET A CHAPTER OUT I'M SORRY
> 
> Literally a filler chapter i'm sorry

It was two hours after Matthias had gotten home from his shopping, and in honesty, barely a dent had been made to the apartment. The plaster had been put up early on, so the ceiling looked... better. The kitchen table had been wiped down thoroughly, and the chairs around it had been dusted. They now sat on the table as Matthias mopped around vigorously, trying to at least make the floor  _look_ clean. He had to say, he was doing a good job (but then again, he was speaking about himself).

He didn't dare even think about touching the kitchen yet.

The Febreze had been plugged into the wall, and was sending out a sweet smell, which barely managed to mask that other repulsive smell. Matthias had managed to decipher that it was coming from the upstairs apartment by now, but really didn't have much else to say on the subject, except that he wanted it gone.

Another four hours had passed the next time Matthias glanced at the clock. Already? But he still wasn't hungry. Maybe he just wouldn't have a dinner tonight. However, after moving some, he noticed that his arms were incredibly sore. So much for continuing to work on the apartment. He supposed he could check out that closet in the hall, and look at the bedroom more? Might as well.

He meandered down the hall, finally getting to the small set of doors. He thought of it as somewhere to store extra shoes, maybe, or a couple formal shirts.

He threw open the oak doors, and felt an eyebrow raise involuntarily. Inside the closet were red long-sleeved shirts, all of them dusty and draping off of hangers. Brown trousers accompanied them, as well as a golden... sash? Belt?? Matthias wasn't quite sure, and didn't care too much to find out. Otherwise, there was nothing to see except for cobwebs.

Thinking about it, it was kind of like whoever had lived here had expected to come back, but had left very abruptly.

In the bedroom, nothing had changed, except the painting seemed more vibrant than before. Looking closer, it seemed to be of a rice field. Workers were scattered around in it, planting seeds in the warm sun. Nothing stood out about it particularly, except that the brush strokes seemed to bring it to life. It honestly was a very wonderful piece, and Matthias wondered why it was left behind. Just another thing to brush aside, he supposed, and he left it as something to ponder at a later date.

Really, nothing exciting or extraordinary had happened while he was gone. He still hadn't finished unpacking, and didn't plan too until the whole place was power-cleaned, so nothing to do with that. He certainly wasn't cleaning anymore today, however, because of how sore his muscles were now. So what was there to do? He could go greet his neighbours.

He decided that was the best plan, even if most of them would be wasted (the party had stopped a couple hours ago, at 5, so most people would be home as well). Stepping out of his apartment again, he was hit with the wonderful smell of cheap booze and cigarettes. Great, just what he wanted after 6 hours of manual labor.

He decided he might as well try to speak to that family of 3 who had greeted him before, however fleetingly. They had seemed nice enough, even if they seemed busy. Maybe, he thought, they could tell him more about Lukas, who had seemed unwilling to speak about himself when asked in the elevator.

Matthias walked down the hallway, trying to remember which door had been theirs. He took a chance, knocking on the apartment door that was three away from his own. The person who opened the door was... oh. Eduard. Uh oh, this was not what Matthias had planned. He could hear Raivis, drunk off his ass, laughing at something inside the apartment.

"Oh, uhh hello." Matthias could feel himself start to play with his zipper. "So... I was wondering what apartment Tino lives in, if you know?"

Eduard paused, thinking, and shot a glance behind him as something fell. "I think they live- Raivis go back to sleep- I think they live right next door, actually. One door down."

One door. He had missed by one door. Of course he had. With his luck, Matthias wasn't even surprised anymore.

"Yeah, thanks... sorry, I'm just new around here."

"Oh, well, feel free to drop by any time. Bye!"

"Yeah, bye." Matthias quickly scooted to the next door over, feeling his face burning. Why did he have to knock on the wrong door. He raised a hand again, and nervously knocked on this one. He heard talking inside, and then the door slowly opened, revealing Berwald standing behind it. He stared down at Matthias. Matthias silently prayed this wouldn't be a longer version of speaking to Eduard.

"Hello Matthias. Would you like to come in." Matthias jumped at the sudden noise, and quickly composed himself again.

"Yeah, thanks man." He side-stepped in and awkwardly stood, waiting, as Berwald closed and locked the door again.

"Tino."

"Hmm, what is it Berwald?"

"We have a visitor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was so late, I've been really busy lately! Please forgive me! I hope everyone still enjoys this story ;; This was, in honesty, just a closer look at the apartment and things. See if you can figure out who used to live there (I will not be confirming nor denying, however).


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthias gets to talk to Tino and Berwald

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO FUCKING SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG HOLY SHIT  
> IT'S SHORT TOO I'M DOING MY BEST ACK  
> Quick reminder:  
> Tino - Finland  
> Berwald - Sweden  
> Peter - Sealand

"Oh, a visitor? Who is it?" Tino's voice drifted from somewhere further in the apartment.

"I thought 'e said h's name was Matthias b'fore." Berwald's voice was deep and rumbling. And intimidating. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Yeah, that's right, I'm Matthias." He chuckled nervously, and tried to stow away his nervousness. The king of Denmark couldn't be nervous!

Berwald looked down at him, his blue eyes piercing through Matthias's soul.

Maybe this time was an exception.

Maybe.

Matthias noticed the layout of the apartments was generally the same, but Berwald's (and Tino's? Were they dating? Married?) was slightly spacier, due to the scarce amount of furniture. That little kid seemed to have disappeared, which was odd, but a topic for another time.

Tino appeared out of the kitchen, a smile decorating his features, and handed Matthias some coffee. They sat down at the dining table, and Tino shifted in his chair to look at him.

"So, what brings you to our fine home?" He looked like he was trying not to bust out laughing. Matthias took a slow sip of his coffee, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say.

"I wanted to know if you know anything about Lukas?" Tino grinned wider, if that was possible. Berwald seemed to ease up somewhat.

"Lukas Bondevik, right? He's an old friend of mine! I'm glad you've met him already, even if he can be a bit, uh, stiff. Oh, am I rambling again? I'm sorry I just get so excited to meet people, haha!" He sipped his coffee quickly, obviously to stop himself from going on any further. A slight pink tinted his cheeks.

"Right, so I was wondering what you could tell me about him? He's not very willing to tell me himself."

"I'm sure you g't basic stuff from h'm? Age 'nd all?" Berwald's eyes met Matthias's, and Matthias felt a shudder run through his body.

"Yeah I did, he's 21, right?"

"Correct!" Tino piped in. Matthias smiled slightly, and continued.

"Norwegian, very defensive."

"Is that really all you got?" Berwald grumbled, casting a glance towards him again.

"Yeah, so? Like I said, he's defensive! Don't blame  _me_!" Berwald snorted. "Well, he has a brother named Emil!"

"Oh, he told you that as well! He really cares about Emil, you know? He practically raised him."

"Why, what happened?"

"Oh, his mother worked full time, and honestly she didn't really care about them. His father killed himself when he was, 8?" Tino glanced at Berwald for confirmation on the age, and received a nod. "And, well, I don't know much else about that."

"Wow. What else?"

"Well, he only moved here maybe, 3 years ago?" Tino sipped his coffee again. "He can't handle the summer, it's hilarious. He practically melts!" Tino snickered, his voice kind of like wind-chimes.

"Anything else you can tell me?"

"Well, he lives in the apartment right above yours, I think!"  _The apartment with the smell._ Good information, he would have to have a word with Lukas, then.

"He also... hmm. He likes blues and purples a lot... and umm, he worked at a coffee shop for awhile, but quit so he could focus on perfecting his English. He always has problems with the grammar. I don't know, It's hard to come up with things on the spot."

"That's no problem!" Matthias hummed for a second, trying to remember what he had wanted to say. The empty cups had been abandoned, although the smell of coffee continued to waft around the apartment.

"Oh right, where'd the kid go?"

"You mean Peter? He's with his friends somewhere, such nice kids."

"Okay well, thank you Tino and Berwald, for the information! And also, that coffee was really good, like, wow!" Tino smiled again, and got up to bring him to the door.

 "Hope to see you again soon! Byeeeee!" The door shut, and Matthias trudged towards the elevator. If he was lucky, Lukas would be there again.

He certainly felt lucky today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I- I'm sorry. I'll update sooner next time.  
> I hope you enjoy this (short) chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER YALL LETS GO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally have no idea what this is, but it's been almost two months since the last update and I apologize profusely. I've had a lot of tests and all, since the school year is winding down.
> 
> WARNING: graphic descriptions of death, graphic descriptions of gore, mentions of suicide, mentions of murder, PTSD flashbacks, depression

Matthias looked at Lukas, standing next to him, and not-so-secretly looking at him from the corner of his eye.

Clearing his throat, Matthias turned to him, a playful glare working onto his features.

"So, you're the one who lives in the apartment above mine, huh?"

Lukas looked at him, confused.

"Umm, yes, I am supposing so?" Mathias noticed the grammar mistake, although he probably wouldn't have if Tino and Berwald hadn't mentioned it. "How did you know that, anyway?"

"Oh, I was talking to Tino and Berwald, and it came up, that's all." Lukas looked slightly suspicious, but didn't inquire further. "So, that means your apartment is the one that smells so bad, then?"

Pink began to tint Lukas's cheeks, an apologetic look crossing his face. He looked up at Matthias.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you could... umm, the problem should be addressed in a couple days." He stuttered a bit as he said this, and Matthias decided the best route would be to not push the subject.

It was kind of odd, though, how Lukas said so with such a sad face.

* * *

 

It was the day after, and Matthias had gotten almost no sleep.

Before he had gone to bed, he had read up on the history of the building. Apparently, the tenant who had lived here before him had killed himself. His name was Leon Wang, and he was an immigrant from China. Hong Kong, to be specific. The reporters had tried to get an interview with his family back in China, but they denied any comment. Matthias assumed the photo shown of three of them was right after the news had been broken, considering the look on their faces ranged from pure horror to utter devastation.

Yao, the oldest, looked like he was trying not to cry. He was losing that fight.

Mei didn't seem to believe what she was hearing.

Kiku was already crying. He didn't even try to keep his composure.

Apparently, they hadn't been able to get in contact with the other siblings when the photo was taken.

So that was why it appeared that the other tenant had been in a hurry to move out. Because he never had.

Matthias felt sick, haunted, knowing that he was sleeping under the same covers as a dead man, walking the same floors, looking at the same paintings (It hadn't taken long for him to realize that the painting that were hanging up were of his home in China).

When he was asleep, he could only think about this Leon's family. About Leon. Nobody knew  _why_ he had offed himself. He had been a pretty happy person, according to Yao. But maybe something got lost in the translation to English. Maybe something had changed, after he moved to the states.

Maybe he had never been happy in the first place.

Matthias resolved to clean this apartment out as soon as he could.

At about 4:30 am, Matthias gave up on his fitful slumber, instead rolling out of the bed and changing into simple jeans, and a shirt with the Danish flag on it. He found himself leaning against the window. The sunrise was a mix of gold, rosy pink, and a striking orange. It was, in the simplest terms, beautiful. It seemed wrong. Wrong, for something like to this to exist, right after Matthias had been informed of...

Matthias left the apartment. He felt nauseous.

At the elevator, a boy with white hair stood, panicked. He bore a resemblance to...

"Hey kid-" The boy looked up at him, pale violet eyes wild. "-You wouldn't happen to be related to Lukas?"

"Y-you know him? Yes, yes I'm his younger brother! Have you-" He faltered, his words coming out faster than his mouth could keep up with. "Have you seen him recently?!" This kid's hands were wringing, and he looked as though he had just been forced to run a kilometer in under 5 minutes.

"Slow down, dude! First off, what's your name? Mine's Matthias!" He couldn't muster the excitement to say 'The King of Northern Europe.' Not now.

"I'm Emil. Just- where is Lukas? I- I haven't heard from him in weeks! He doesn't answer my texts, he doesn't answer my calls, I- I'm really worried. He always answers and..." Emil trailed off, and fell silent.

"Okay Emil, just chill out, I'm sure he's fine. I saw him yesterday, okay? Just follow me, I'll bring you to his apartment. Sound good?"

Emil nodded, taking deep breaths. They didn't seem to calm him down at all. Matthias, however, appreciated the gesture.

The elevator ride was tense and uncomfortable, and seemed to last longer than a one-floor trip. Maybe that was something about this elevator. Maybe it warped space-time or something.

The doors opened, and they began the not-too-long walk down the hall. Lukas hadn't been in the elevator, as he usually was. It was still early though, so that was reasonable. Right?  _RIGHT?_

Even Matthias was getting worried now, although he couldn't explain why.

He couldn't explain why Leon was dead.

He couldn't explain why Raivis couldn't have gotten out of his home sooner.

He couldn't explain anything that had happened to Lukas and Emil's parents.

He didn't seem able to explain much anymore.

They were in front of the door, and Matthias wasn't sure he wanted to knock at this point. A glance at Emil told him the other was having similar thoughts.

He knocked anyway.

Nothing.

He knocked again.

A reverberating noise, and nothing.

Emil was crying.

"JUST BREAK DOWN THE FUCKING DOOR! I NEED TO SEE THAT HE'S OKAY! I DON'T WANT SOMETHING TO HAVE HAPPENED AND-" Emil choked on his words. Maybe the last time they had spoken they had fought.

He was in hysterics now.

Matthias slammed his body against the door. Once, twice, three times. It took three slams to get it down.

The disgusting fucking smell blasted into the hall.

Matthias felt the hair in his nostrils singe, it was so gross.

They walked in, going through the small hall in the front. It was identical to Matthias's, except instead of a painting, there was a photo of a fjord.

A beautiful silk screen separated it from the rest of the house. It was kicked down, shredded by the soles of their sneakers, without a second's hesitation.

Emil screamed. Matthias choked on his spit.

_//If you cannot take descriptions of gore, please do not read this.//_

In the center of the room, Lukas's corpse lay. Same hair, same face, same slender body, same odd curl on the back of the head.

Emil was screaming, crying, sobbing and wailing and it was  _so much NOISE and Matthias couldn't hear his own thoughts-_

Matthias was numb from shock, although he slowly began to cry. Tears dripped down his face, off his nose. Some collected at the bottom of his chin and hung there.

Whoever had killed Lukas had clearly not known what they were doing.

Obvious stab wounds peppered his chest, tearing through his shirt. Some parts of his chest were mangled, disgusting and rotting and decomposing and-

Matthias bent over, and threw up. Vomit got onto his feet, although he could care less at the moment.

Emil was knelt by his brother.

The obvious killing blow was a large slit through Lukas's neck. It had clearly cut through the windpipe, and... Matthias didn't want to think about this. Not at all.

There had been an obvious struggle.

Blood was splashed around the beautiful oak table, across the floor, and was in a pool around Luk- This was the dining room. Right above Matthias's dining room. Which meant that the maroon spot that had been on his ceiling was probably... Matthias hurled again.

Lukas's eyes were open. From here, he could see the deep blue, glossed over and so... dead.

There didn't seem to be a weapon around anywhere, probably taken by the sick bastard who did this. No evidence, as they say, right? Except for a small piece of red and gold silk, ripped and left on the ground.

The same red and gold silk that Matthias had found in his closet.

It didn't take long to piece everything together, and when Matthias finally had, he thought he might just like to take Leon's place in the grave.

Matthias backed up into the main hallway, leaving Emil. Others heard the screaming and gathered around.

He watched Eduard desperately try to cover little Raivis's eyes, and fail. Raivis started screaming, clawing at Eduard's arms, wailing in some foreign language. It didn't take a genius to realize he was having a flashback to his childhood.

Berwald quickly got Peter away from the scene. Tears were rolling out of his eyes, and Peter looked, altogether, plain confused. Tino was wailing, leaning against a wall.

Matthias went into the elevator. He couldn't take this. This... he...

Matthias checked his phone while he waited for the elevator. He had gotten Berwald and Tino's numbers before, so he didn't have to go back to that horrible scene. Thank merciful God. He wouldn't have been able to if he had tried.

The elevator doors clicked open, and without a second thought, Matthias pressed the button for the ground floor.

He froze as a beautiful, silken voice drifted to his ear. A voice belonging to someone who usually wore varying shades of indigo.

"Hello, Matthias."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAND THATS A WRAP  
> Wow! Writing this story was so, so fun!  
> If there are any prompts you would like me to write, please tell me! My Tumblr is silver-pastel-stars. I would love to do requests!  
> Again, thank you to Dennor-the-life-ruinner for writing this prompt!  
> And I apologize for having taken so long to write this! I just didn't know how to go about it xD  
> Poor Raivis...  
> I hope you all enjoyed! And thank you for sticking with me throughout this story!  
> I love all of you!


End file.
